Communication technology has transformed our world. As the amount of information communicated over networks has increased, high speed transmission has become ever more critical. Fiber optic links enable high speed data transmission between nodes in a network. In a typical fiber-optic link, an optical transmitter at one node (i.e., a “first” node) in the network emits light representing information into a fiber-optic cable. That light is propagated through the optical fiber through principles of total internal reflection. The light is then received by an optical receiver at another node (i.e., a “second” node) in the network, whereby the data may be ideally reconstructed. This establishes one direction of a fiber-optic link since information can be communicated from the first node to the second node in a network using optics. The data might be consumed at the second network node, or may simply be relayed to yet another network node. Bidirectional optical links are also possible using transmitters and receives on both ends of the link.
Optical fibers are thus a key component of the optical communication. Fiber optic cables contain one or more optical fibers, but often also contain two further components; namely, strength member(s) (such as aramid yarn strands), and a jacket (also called a “sheath”) that wraps around the bundle of optical fiber(s) and as strength member(s). The jacket serves as a mechanical barrier that protects its contents, particularly the optical fibers, from one or more environmental hazards such as, for example, abrasion, crushing, cutting, and so forth. The strength member(s) are secured to the connectors at both sides of the cable, and serve to endure the majority of the tensile stress that the cable might experience, rather than having the weaker optical fibers experience the tensile stress.
The optical cable is often attached to connectors at both ends. The process of attaching the optical cable to a connector is referred to in the art as “termination”. In order to terminate a cable that includes a strength member, each optical fiber is optically coupled to an appropriate optical transmitter and/or optical receiver. Furthermore, the strength member(s) are mechanically affixed to the connector in a specific way depending on the connector design. This termination process may be performed prior to shipment of the cable. In that case, the cable is shipped with connectors already affixed at both ends. In some cases, termination might also be accomplished in the field, in which case, the cable might be cut to a desired length. Termination is a delicate process and should be done correctly in order to ensure proper optical operation of the cable, and to ensure that the strength members act to properly protect the cable from tensile forces.